Hmmmmmm.... what makes Seagal a "major figure" in Aikido? At best he seems well-known, via his movie stuff, and he's certainly controversial.... but does that make him a "major figure" in the art? One one hand, he's popularized Aikido via his movies; on the other hand, he's done and said so many squirrely things that he's detracted from Aikido. But putting all the hoopla to the side, and not even really having a dog in this fight, I'm curious to hear what's the rationale behind him being a "major figure" as opposed to a "well-known figure".